Page 23 of Hard Hitter

Raelyn whipped her head in Amira's direction and shot her a look that she hoped was read as 'what happened tohedoesn't impressus?' but was simply met with a lame shrug in her direction and then a beaming smile back to Quinn.

Apparently that was onlyhermantra tonight.

Quinn cleared his throat and looked up at Amira, giving a reserved grin, "Ah, yes, theotherbest friend.”

“I’m sorry,I’mthe other best friend?” Amira asked defensively. “Strongly disagree. I have been by this lady’s side for the last ten years.”

“That’s cute, I was there forelevenyears before that,” said Quinn, keeping a sarcastic yet playful tone.

“We lost our virginity on the same night,” Amira countered.

Quinn’s playful demeanor faltered for half a second, flicking his gaze to Raelyn for a beat before grinning mischievously, “Was it...with each other? Because I wouldn’t mind the details.”

Amira hesitated, appearing flustered, “Well aren’t you naughty? You handsome...beguiling specimen...”

Raelyn glared at her friend, shouting with her eyes,Get a grip, woman!

Leave it to Amira Jones to lose her senses at the sight of a handsome-devil grin, immediately after giving a pep-talk on female empowerment.

Once again, she told herself to take control of the situation. "Do you think we can find a booth in here? Not sure my skirt's really made for bar stools."

Quinn's eyes dropped back down to the tight skirt embracing little more than her ass and thighs and then back up to her face. The slow lick of his bottom lip accompanied by a small bite didn’t go unnoticed.

He nodded and slid off his bar stool, "Yeah, I'll go find us a spot." His glance back down her legs didn't go unnoticed either and she turned to Amira once he'd walked away.

"Why don't you dress me more often?" Raelyn asked, feeling her confidence boosting significantly.

"I'll start coming over to set your clothes out before bed each night." Amira leaned over the bar where a tall girl with light brown skin and long braids was pouring drinks, "Can we get two shots of tequila with lemon and two cosmopolitans?"

"Tequila?" said Raelyn. "How the hell am I supposed to own the game if I'm table dancing?"

"Oh, sweetie, that's exactly how you own the game."

Quinn returned just as the bartender handed the girls their drinks. He watched as they drained their shot glasses and bit into the lemon slices with matching winces, and tried to conceal a grin, "Come on, I saved us a spot over here."

The girls left the empty shot glasses on the bar and followed Quinn back to a large corner booth that was sized for up to six people. Amira and Raelyn slid into one side and Quinn sat down across from them. He tipped his glass in a greeting to a group of college-age guys walking by who had pointed, recognizing the MLB all-star at once. He was bound to get a lot of recognition at a place like this, frequented by sports fans, and Raelyn was sure that wouldn't be the last, nor would it be the most enthusiastic greeting Quinn would get from passing fans that night.

"Rae told me you're getting married at the end of next month," Quinn said to Amira. "Congratulations."

"Oh, thank you," Amira beamed. "Brody might actually be stopping by later. He's out with the guys tonight, but I told him I was meeting baseball's most notorious bad boy and he threatened to come swooping in with his damn sword if need be."

"Sword?" Quinn raised a curious brow, "As in…?"

"As in a sword," said Raelyn. "Like an actual weapon made from metal, designed to slice off various appendages."

"It was his way of incorporating my heritage into his outfit on our wedding day," Amira said, sounding slightly annoyed, but adoration was present in her voice. "He couldn't pull off the whole Indian groom look, but he couldn't pass up the sword."

"That might be the coolest wedding accessory I've ever heard of," said Quinn, awestruck.

"It was a bit of an argument. I tried telling him he'd look like an idiot in a tux with a sword, but then I realized it might come in handy if I needed to slice off the best man's balls," Amira shrugged.

This comment earned a look of wide-eyed shock from Quinn, "Do we not like the best man?"

"We do not," Amira and Raelyn said in unison.

When Quinn gave Raelyn a curious look she sighed and took a sip of her cosmopolitan before explaining simply, "Emerson."

"And before you let that color the character of my idiot future husband, let me just say that they were friends and roommates in college and Brody just hasn't realized yet that he's completely outgrown him," said Amira.

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